washington (jps) | U.S. citizens who have ties to Israel or hold Israeli-American dual citizenship encounter difficulties in obtaining security clearance from the Pentagon and are dealt with in a manner similar to that of Americans who have ties with hostile nations, according to a new study published last month.
The private study examines the decisions concerning clearance requests by Americans with ties to Israel. It finds that in many cases the applicants are questioned on the issue of dual loyalty.
The government, in at least three cases, cited the Larry Franklin case, in which a Pentagon analyst allegedly gave classified information to two former AIPAC staffers, as evidence that individuals with ties to Israel cannot be trusted with security clearance.
Sheldon I. Cohen, a lawyer who conducted the study, said that he found that ties with Israel are treated more severely then those with other countries which are known to be allies of America.
“My impression,” he said “is that the government views Israel in a tougher way than other non-hostile countries, such as Sweden, Britain or France, and in a way which is similar to that of hostile countries like China.”
Attorney David Schoen, who is now representing a Lockheed Martin employee who lost his clearance due to ties with Israel, said the Pentagon singles out Americans with Israeli citizenship.
Schoen’s client, a 53-year-old engineer who holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship and whose mother and sister live in Israel, was informed that his clearance was revoked due to “foreign preferences,” since he holds an Israeli passport, and “foreign vulnerability,” because he has relatives in Israel.
When Schoen asked the government representative to see a list of countries in which having family members would create a “foreign vulnerability,” he was told there is no such list.
The judge in the case refused to enter as evidence the Franklin-AIPAC indictment and a decision is expected next month. Meanwhile, the employee was fired by Lockheed Martin.
According to the study, since 1996, the year in which the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, which adjudicates security clearance issues, began making its decisions public, there were 47 cases involving Israel and 29 of them were denied clearance.
In the cases brought to the appeals board, the government argued that ties of the applicant with Israel, either by dual citizenship, holding an Israeli passport or having family in Israel, should serve as a disqualifying factor due to “foreign preference” or “foreign influence.”